What are the Health Benefits of Pears fruits?

Last updated on July 16th, 2023 at 03:49 pm

10 minutes read.    

Pears are delicious fibrous nutrients-based fruits consumed all over the world. Naturally, it comes in different sizes, tastes, colors, textures,s, and shapes.

Pears offer your body many health benefits backed by many scientific researches. And such is worth taking seriously.

In this article am going to properly break down everything you need to know about pear fruits, including how you can produce a delicious pear butter from your home.

Stay with me but feel free to skip to any topic that interests you most.

• Types of Pears
• Nutrition Facts
• Health Benefits of Pears
• How to make pear butter
• Side Effects of pear
• Conclusion

Types of Pears

There are over 3,000 types of pears grown worldwide. Pears are known by different names in different countries.

Here are some of the varieties grown in different parts of the world;

Countries	Names and varieties of pear fruits
America and the United States	Green Anjou, red Anjou, Bartlett, red Bartlett, bosc, comice, concorde, forelle, seckel, starkimson, clapp
Europe	New century, Harrow delight, Harvest queen, Bartlett, Red sensation, Seckel, Spartlett, D’Anjou
Asian	Chojuro, Drppin honey, Hosui, Kosui, Niitaka , Olympic giant, Shineiki, Ya, Yoinashi,
Africa	Bush butter fruit, Ube, Eleme, Ohun ebo, Orumu, eben,  Antaga, Nsafu Safou, Packham’s triumph, Forelle, Plum, Bon chretien and Abate fetel, Elemi
Antarctica	Antarctica’s nonstop winters make it impossible to grow food outdoors. Fruits and vegetables are instead shipped long distances from overseas. However, in 2017, engineers at the German Aerospace Center (GAC) built a high-tech greenhouse that will allow Antarticans to harvest produce.

This infographic shows a clear picture of American pear varieties

Nutrition Facts   

According to 2019 research in the United States Department of Agriculture, food data, a medium-sized pear (raw Bartlett) sample (178 grams) provides you with the following nutrients:

Names	Average Amount	Unit
Proximate:
Water	150	g
Energy (at water general factors)	112	kcal
Energy(at water-specific factors)	101	Kcal
Nitrogen	0.107	g
Protein		g
Total lipid (fat)	0.285	g
Ash	0.534	g
Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates	26.9	g
Fiber, total dietary	5.52	g
Fiber, soluble	0.534	g
Fiber, insoluble	4.98	g
Sugar, total	17.2	g
sucrose	0.765	g
glucose	4.45	g
Fructose	12	g
lactose	0	g
maltose	0	g
galactose	0	g
Minerals:
Calcium	14.2	mg
iron	0.303	mg
magnesium	10.1	mg
phosphorus	17.8	mg
potassium	155	mg
sodium	12.5	mg
Zinc	0.125	mg
copper	0.125	mg
Manganese	0.057	mg
selenium	0.356	µg
Vitamins and other components:
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	7.83	mg
Thiamin	0.021	mg
Riboflavin	0.046	mg
niacin	0.292	mg
Pantothenic acid	0.075	mg
Vitamin B6	0.046	mg
Folate, total	10.7	µg
Vitamin A, RAE	1.78	µg
Carotene, beta	0	µg
Cryptoxanthin, beta	5.34	µg
Lycopene	0	µg
Lutein+ zeaxanthin	85.4	µg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	6.76	µg
Vitamin K (Dihydrophylloquinone)	0	µg
Amino acids:
Tryptophan	0.004	g
Threonine	0.023	g
Isoleucine	0.025	g
Leucine	0.041	g
Lysine	0.037	g
Methionine	0.004	g
Cysteine	0.004	g
Phenylalanine	0.023	g
Tyrosine	0.004	g
Valine	0.034	g
arginine	0.021	g
Histidine	0.004	g
Alanine	0.028	g
Aspartic acid	0.185	g
Glutamic acid	0.064	g
Glycine	0.027	g
Proline	0.03	g
serine	0.028	g

You may ask, among all these pears varieties, which one contains better nutrients?

One thing you should bear in mind is that all pears possess similar nutrients and health benefits.

So you can try any one or try mixing different varieties for your homemade pear juice or butter. But always eat without removing the skin whenever possible.

Health Benefits of Pears        

1.Great Source of Fiber

Pears contain zero percent digestible calories which can help to regulate your blood sugar to normal always.

The high fiber content in pears (5.5 grams equal to 22% of your daily fiber) can help to maintain your bowel by adding water, softening, and bulking up the stool.

The soluble fiber contained in pears, especially on the skin, is said to be prebiotic meaning it feeds the healthy bacteria in your intestines.

This can help to improve your immune system and support healthy aging. So it’s important to eat a pear with the skin.

The pectin fiber contained in the pear is a great element that helps to lower cholesterol and protect you from constipation.

2. Support Weight Loss

It’s obvious that the more fresh vegetables and fruit you eat, the less likely you’ll gain weight or struggle to maintain your health.

How can eating pears support weight loss?

Because pears are low in calories, high in water, and packed with fiber, this makes them a weight-loss-friendly food. The fiber and water in pears provide a satiety nature when eaten. Naturally, when you’re full you will be less likely prone to crave more food. And this may help to reduce your daily calorie intake.

Eating pears can provide you with a quick boost of energy before a workout. Pears are a natural source of fructose and glucose that your body uses quickly to enhance physical performance, this actually makes pears excellent pre-workout snacks.

Since you need glucose after a workout to replenish glycogen, eating pears with nuts after a workout can actually solve that need.

3. Improve Hart Health.

One of the reasons pears are good for your heart is because it provide phytochemical antioxidants that keep arteries clear, lower inflammation, and prevent high levels of oxidative stress.

A study showed that consuming fiber-based fruits can help protect one from stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diverticulosis(small bulges or pockets that can develop in the lining of the intestine as you get older), and hypertension.

4. Helps Fight Diabetes

Eating whole pears provide you with flavonoids which improve insulin sensitivity. Studies have shown that ingesting a good amount of flavonoids via fruits could be a natural method of preventing and treating diabetes.

Because of the high fiber content in pears, it transports glucose into the bloodstream slowly hence pears have a low glycemic index.

5. Improves Digestion

Pears fiber nutrition benefits your digestive health due to the pectin found in it. Pectin is considered a natural diuretic agent and has a mild laxative effect.

Eating pears with their skin or blending it into a smoothie or whole pear fruit juice can serve as a natural constipation remedy.

6. Good source of Antioxidants

Pears naturally contain two principal types of antioxidants, vitamin C and phytonutrients. Vitamin C, the antioxidant vitamin is essential for human health and a strong antioxidant found widely across the plant kingdom.

The vitamin C in pears fights off free radicals, which can put your cells under oxidative stress and lead to chronic disease.

 Eating pears-and other foods high in antioxidants can reduce your risk of developing cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and even neurodegenerative diseases like dementia!

7. Helps Maintain Bone Health.

One medium of pear provides you with about 8 grams of vitamin K which is very essential for the healthy maintenance of your bones.

How does vitamin K promote bone health?

In 2018, research in biomedicine proved that vitamin K as a multifunctional vitamin plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of bone strength, and it has been proven to have a positive impact on bone metabolism.

Vitamin K exerts its anabolic effect on bone turnover in different ways such as promoting osteoblast differentiation, upregulating transcription of specific genes in osteoblasts, and activating the bone-associated vitamin K-dependent proteins which play critical roles in extracellular bone matrix mineralization.

How to make Butter Pears

Homemade butter pear (Bartlett)

This pear butter is similar to apple butter in that it is a spicy, sweet, tangy spread, great over buttered toast (there is no “butter” in apple butter or pear butter), but with a distinctly different taste coming from the pears (obviously) and the seasonings of star anise, ginger, lemon, cardamom, and nutmeg.

Preparation Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Processing Time

10 mins

Total Time

3 hours 50 minutes

Serving

96 to 128 servings

Yield

6 to 8 half-pint jars

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pounds chopped Bartlett pears, peels, and cores included (remove any bruised or damaged parts)
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 2 to 3 cups sugar (adjust down or up given the sweetness of the pears)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Special equipment for Pear butter

One Chinoise or food mill

For canning

• 6 to 8 half-pint glass canning jars
• 6 to 8 new canning lids and rings
• Flat steaming rack
• Large stock pot or canning pot

Method

1. Cook the pears until mashable:

Put chopped pears, star anise, and ginger into a large pot. Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of lemon juice.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the pears are completely soft, anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat.

•  Push the cooked pears through a food mill:

Fish out and discard the star anise from the pear mixture. Ladle the pear mixture (liquid included) into a chinoise or food mill and (use a pestle if using a chinoise) force the mixture through to a large bowl below.

Discard remaining solids (seeds, stems, tough parts).

• Add the pear purée and sugar to the pot:

Measure the resulting purée, and pour it into a large (8-qt), wide, thick-bottomed pan. For every cup of pear purée, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar (adjust given the sweetness of the pears). Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Add the cardamom, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

•  Cook until thick:

Cook on medium heat, stirring often to prevent the purée from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. Cook until the mixture is quite thick, and a small bit placed on a chilled plate is not runny.

This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the batch.

•  Prepare jars for canning:

While the mixture is cooking, prepare a water bath for canning.

Place a steamer rack in a large stockpot, and place 6 to 8 half-pint canning jars on the rack. Fill the jars and the pot with enough hot water to cover the jars by 1 inch.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Wash the lids in hot, soapy water.

Hint

Because the jars will be processed in a water bath for 10 minutes, you do not need to sterilize the jars. They do, however, need to be warm.

• Pour the pear butter into the jars:

When the pear butter is ready, pour it into the hot jars, and seal, leaving 1/4 inch head space between the pear butter and the rims of the jars. Wipe the rims of the jars clean. Screw on the bands so they are fingertip-tight.

At this point, you may either can the pear butter or simply let it cool to room temperature and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Note

If you plan to store the pear butter outside of a refrigerator, follow proper canning procedures.

Lower the filled jars into the stock pot with canning tongs. Make sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a full rolling boil and process for 10 minutes.

The sealed jars will keep for a long time but are best consumed within 1 year.

Other ways you can use pears include:

Fresh fruit, products such as cakes and pies, juices and brandy, compotes, jams, jellies, and syrups can be prepared from pear.

Side Effects of Pear

Some side effects of pear fruit are related to the digestive system and development may be seen in children and infants.

Weaning babies might experience some side effects of pear fruit as it contains a few acids that might harm the digestive system.

Excessive consumption of pear juice might cause abdominal pain, excessive gas, and chronic diarrhea in children.

Additionally, excess consumption of pear juice might lead to a defect in the height and weight of infants.

Am glad you stay with me till the end, I appreciate your time. 

Conclusion

It is no doubt that all types of pear fruit found in different parts of the world contain great health benefits and you can start taking advantage of these nutrients now. 

Try adding one pear or half pear to your diet every day.

You can as well mix it with other fruits and vegetables with lean proteins like nuts or healthy snacks. But always make sure you eat pear skin whenever possible and maintain hygiene by thorough washing.

If you’re a fan of pear juice from supermarkets, I advise you to opt for preparing pear juice yourself to ensure you’re taking whole fruit juice not flavor and color.

Pears are relatively low in calories and have no added sugar, so if you’re diabetic already do not add extra sugar to your homemade pear juice instead use honey or other natural sweeteners.

Finally, don’t overconsume pears or overfeed children with pears especially when you have them in abundance because our body needs every diet in moderate quantity to balance its metabolic functions.

I hope you get the value worth your time, I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment below if you find this article helpful and don’t forget to drop your question, opinion, or criticism if any. Cheers!

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The content provided in Living Good is for informational and educational purposes only. It’s not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal doctor. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Living Good takes no responsibility for possible health consequences of any person(s) reading or following the information in this educational content. Viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medication, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.